A suspect is charged with assaulting a Houston police officer during a struggle last month.
William J. Keller, 34, was charged Monday with third-degree assault, a felony.
According to a report, the policeman was dispatched at about 6:30 p.m. April 3 regarding a report of a man trying to get into vehicles at Texas County Memorial Hospital. An off-duty policeman advised the officer that the suspect had seen him and fled north to Taco Bell.
Keller was seen on the parking lot and reacted by yelling and clenching a fist before attempting to flee.
As the officer followed, Keller landed a punch to the officer’s mouth before hitting the ground. The struggle displaced the officer’s Taser, and Keller grabbed and deployed it on himself, according to a report.
A second on-duty police officer and an off-duty Texas County Sheriff’s Department deputy assisted in controlling Keller and placing him in handcuffs.
The officer reported that Keller is Hepatitis C positive, and he had bleeding fingers at the time of the punch that entered the officer’s mouth. The officer sustained cuts and bruises and went to Texas County Memorial Hospital for treatment.
Keller was taken to jail with a bond set at $250,000. In November, he was charged as part of multi-agency investigation.